Vegetable-bunching machine



G. J. JORDAN VEGETABLE BUNGHI NG MACHINE Filed July 5. 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 gwumfo'n 6 ml Jaruarz G. J. JORDAN VEGETABLE BUNCHING MACHINE Filed July 3. 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 NAVY a. tlcfokafan Aug. 1.1, 1925. 1,549,554

G. J. JORDAN VEGETABLE BUNCHING MACHINE.

il d Jul 's, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I! .I h in:

Aug. 11, 1925.

' G. J. JORDAN VEGETABLE BUNGHING MACHINE d J ,v :5, 1923' 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 G.'J. JORDAN Aug. 11, 1925. 1,549,554

VEGETABLE Buncamc. MACHINE Filed July :5. 1925 5 Sheets- Sheet 5 lllllllllllllll;

:3" M alt/Wi Fates-atrial Aug. ll, 1925.

llNl'llil ST GEORGE J. JORDAN, OF CENTAUR, MISSOURI.

V'EGETABLE-BUNCHING MACHINE.

Application filed July 3,

To all 1072 cm it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. J RDAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Centaur, in the count} of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vegetable- Bunching Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, Such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a bunching machine.

It is aimed to provide a novel inexpensive, eflicient and durable machine by which commodities or materials, particularly vegetables, and for instance asparagus, may be bunched and tied so as to supplant the laborious hand method now in vogue, particularly on farms and in the market, and elsewhere where vegetables or materials to be bunched are handled in large quantities.

The invention resides in the various combinations, construction, arrangement and details of the parts of the machine as hereinafter described and claimed and with relation to accompanying drawings illustrating an operative embodiment.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation with one of the supports partly broken away;

Figures 2 and 3 are elevations taken from opposite sides of the machine;

Figure l is a cross section on line l4n of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a cross section on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a cross section on line 7-7 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a cross section on line 88 of Figure 7 and Figure 9 is a cross section on line 99 of Figure 6.

Like reference characters designate like or similar parts in the different views.

In carrying out the invention, a suitable table or base is provided as at 10 and which may have depending supports 11 in order to render it portable.

Rigid with and rising from the base or table 10 are spaced uprights 12 and 12 in which, adjacent the upper ends thereof, a rock shaft 13 is suitably journaled. Through the operation of shaft 13 the tying 1923. Serial N0. 649,356.

mechanism B and a needle C are adapted to be actuated in order to apply and tie a cord, twine or string D about a bunch of vegetables or other material as suggested at E and which is applicable intermediate the free end of the needle C and an abutment finger F rigid with and rising from the table 10.

The cord or tying medium in a usual ball or other form is accommodated on a post 14 depending from the base 10 and removably held in place as at 15. The needle C is generally hook shaped and is hollow for the most part as at 16, so that the tying element D will pass therethrough.

Depending from the base 10 are pairs of bearings 17 and 18, respectively, having shafts 19 and 20 journa-led therein. The needle C adjacent its lower end rigidly fastens to the shaft 19. Shafts 19 and 20 have cranks 21 and 22, respectively extending therefrom and pivotally connected by a link 23 or otherwise. A crank 24: also extends from the shaft 20 and has a link 25 pivotally connected thereto. An operating lever 26 is fulcrumed on the upright 12 axially of shaft 13 and is arranged for a limited movement independently thereof. Spaced arms 27 project rigidly from the lever 26 at a right angle to the axis of shaft 13 and have elongated slots '28 therein in which a follower block 28 of any suitable construction, is slidably mounted. The link or rod 25 at 29 is pivotally connected to the follower block or slide 28 As a result, upon the lever 26 being pulled forwardly, the arms 27 will cause the rod 25 to be depressed and the same being in engagement with crank 24 will rock shaft 20 which through the medium of the crank 22, link 23, crank 21, shaft 19 and the needle C, move the needle C at its free end in the direction of the tying means B. When the material or bunch is applied to the machine, it is rested directly on the tying element D after depressing such element at a portion thereof against the top of the table 10, lo-

.cating it intermediate the needle and abutment fingers F. Thus upon movement of the needle toward the abutment fingers F, the bunch will be compressed and the cord or tying element 1) wrapped about it.

Rigid with the shaft 13 is a crank 30 which is connected with a crank 31 by means of a rod or link 32 loosely or'pivotally fastened to both of them. Crank 31 is fas Cir tened to a short shaft 33 journaled in suitable bearings 34 fastened to the upright 12 Rigid with shaft 33 at the opposite end to crank arm 31, and extending in the opposite direction of said crank arm 31 is a crank arm 35. Pivotally and loosely connected with the crank arm 35 in an elongated slot 36 thereof is a pitman 37 Pitman 37 at 38 is pivotally connected to a knife 39 whose cutting edge is located as at 40. Knife 39 is a lever in that it is pivoted on a pin 41, fastened to one of two plates 42 extending from the upright 12*. A supporting bracket 43 is connected to the plates 42 and rises from the base 10. A bracket or bearing 44 also rises from the base 10 in spaced relation to the bracket 43. Plates 42 have shoulders at 45 adapted to be engaged by the, tying element D and against which shoulders 45 such tying element is adapted to be clamped at times by a clamping wheel 46 which is rigid on a shaft 47 journaled in plates 42 and in the bracket or hearing 44. lVheel 46 is shaped similarly to a ratchet wheel in that it has teeth at 48 provided with substantially radial faces 49 to move into parallelism with the shoulders 45 and clamp the tying element D against such shoulders. The shoulders 45 are inwardly offset so as to be in the direct line with the teeth 48. Extending rigidly from shaft 33 is a crank 50 which operates in a large slot 51 in the upright 12 and which is pivotally connected with a pivoted pawl 52 which coacts with a suitable ratchet wheel 53 on shaft 47 which actuates shaft 47 and prevents retrograde rotation thereof. A spring 54 urges the pawl 52 into coacting relation with the ratchet.

A crank 57 also extends rigidly from the shaft 13. A mounting consisting primarily of a plate 58 is fastened as at 59 to the upright 12 and extends laterally therefrom. Posts 60 connect a bar 61 to the plate 58 and a contractile coil spring 62 is fastened to one of the posts 60 and to the crank 57, thus serving as a return spring and to normally urge the shaft 13 and associated parts to n0rmal position. A short shaft 63 is j ournaled in the plates 58 and 61 and a ratchet at 64 is associated with said shaft 63, in such manner as to prevent retrograde rotation of shaft 63. A pawl end 65 is provided on link 66 to coact with ratchet 64. Link 66 is also pivoted to the crank 57. A beveled gear wheel 68 is keyed to shaft 63. A U-shaped or other bracket 69 is fastened to the plate 58, at a portion thereof in the rear of gear 68 and its terminals journal an upstanding main shaft 70 of the tying mechanism B. Shaft 70 has a bevel gear wheel 71 thereon in mesh with gear wheel 68 whereby it will be driven by the latter. Gear wheel 71 is provided with teeth at 72 with which a pawl 73 coacts to prevent retrograde rotation of the shaft 70.- lawl 73 may be pivotally or operatively carried by a bracket 74 fastened to the plate 58 and bracket 69.

At the lower end the shaft 70 carries suit able means to effect the tying of a knot in the cord D about the bundle E, through the rotation of the shaft 7 O in cooperation with a cam 75 of a blade 79 extending from the upright 12. The knotting means may be a finger 80 extending laterally and rigidly from shaft 70 and normally engaged by a finger 81 pivoted thereto at 82 and urged into contact therewith by a spiral spring fastened to an end 84 of finger 81 and which end is adapted to coact with cam 75. Finger 81 has a shoulder 85 and a hook end or shoulder 86.

Operation of the lever 26 is independent of the shaft 13 only to a limited extent since a pin 76 extends from shaft 13, preferably being covered by a friction reducing sleeve 77. Sleeve 77 is journaled on pin 76 and in the path of movement of an offset arm 78 provided on the lever 26 at a right angle to the arm 27.

Normally the free end of the cord or tie element D is disposed over the finger 81 and gripped or clamped between the shoulders 45 and the surface 49 of one of the teeth 48. Initially the cord is placed in the needle C and is first fast ned by holding the cord across the grippers 45 and turning the grippers far enough to catch the cord and the needle is then thrown back. After this, the cord is always fastened by the needle into the grippers. The material to be bundled is then placed in contact with the cord intermediate the abutment finger F and the free end of needle C. The needle brings the cord over the bunch to be tied and fastens it in the grippers and then dur ing the operation in which the bunch is tied, the knife cuts the cord between the bunch and the grippers. In this way, the cord remains fastened in the grippers and hence when the needle is thrown back it is ready for the next bunch. Such material is then pressed downwardly so that the same and portion of the cord D below it will rest on the table 10. Lever 26 is then pulled forwardly whereby the arm depresses link 25 and the latter depresses crank 24 causing the shaft 20 to rock, and through the medium of the crank 22, link 23, crank 21, and shaft 19, to rock the needle C moving the free end thereof toward the tyin mechanism B, thus arranging the cord 1) completely about the bundle as at E to double or provide two strands of cord over finger 81. After a limited forward movement of such lever 26 during which mechanism 3 remains idle and which is p rinissible to the slip connection of link 2:5 at slot tie arm 78 engages the sleeve 77 and hereupon rocks the shaft 13 which through the medium of crank 57, link 66, pawl 65, r

5llftfl. 6?), gear wheels 58 and 71 and shaft 7i),

operates the tying mechanism B. As shaft turns, the two strands of cord are ongaged by shoulder 85 and moved thirewith through a partial rotation of such shaft to provide a loop. .Vhen the shaft 70 has made about threequarters of a revolution, end 8 engages cam 75 which opens finger 81 so that the strants of cord between the formed loop and cutter 40 are received between fingers and 81 after which such fingers close as end 84 disengages cam 5 and the portions of the cord engaged y he fingers is abutted by the hook or shoulder 86 and carried by the fingers through the loop to complete the knot. As this knotting mechanism and its operation is conventional and well understood further illustration and description thereof is believed to be unnecessary. After the knot has been tied by the mechanism B as described, the crank 35, which has be;n operated through movement of the shaft by crank 31 under urgency of link 32, crank 30 and shaft 13, operates the pitman 37 which swings the knife 39 into cutting engagement with the tying element B. This movement of the knife does not immediately occur upon the operation of shaft 18 but is delayed until after the knot is formed, due to the provision of the slot 36 or slip connection between the crank 35 and pitman 37. The knife will b: restored to normal position under urgency of the spring 62.

Various changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention l. A machine of the class described having a table adapted to receive material to be bound, abutment means on the table for said material, parallel shafts journaled on and below said table, means to rock one of said shafts, a needle carried by the other shaft, means to rock the latter shaft from the first mentioned shaft, means depending from the table to mount a binding element substantially in ball form, said needle constituting a guide for said binding element, said binding element at the portion beyond the needle being adapted to receive the material thereon, means to move the needle to apply the element about said material and means to bind the element about the material.

2. A machine of the class described including means to apply a binding element about material, means to grip and hold the free end of the element simultaneously with the operation of said means including a plate having a shoulder, a wheel journaled on said plate to bind the material against said shoulder, and means operable to sever the element while so gripped.

3. A machine of the class described including means to apply a binding element about material, spaced plates havii'ig shoulders, a shaft journaled one of the plats, a wheel carried by Chart and disposed intermediate the plates to said elem nts adjacent its free end said shoulders, means to more to and from clamping engag with the element, and cutting means to operate against the element when clamped.

a. A machine of the class described having means to apply a binding element about material, and means operable after application of said binding element and through movement, of the 1st mentioned means to bind the element about the material.

5. A machine of the class described including a drive shaft, a driven shaft, operating means for the driven shaft journalet axially of the drive shaft, means to drive said drive shaft from said operating means, means to permit a limited movement of said operating means relatively to said drive shaft, means operable from the driven shaft to apply the binding element about material, and means operable by the drive shaft to bind said element about material.

6. A machine of the class described having a first shaft, a second shaft, a lever journaled axially of the second shaft, a pin on the second shaft, an arm extending from the lever'engageable with said pin, an arm ex tending from the lever at a right angle to said pin and provided with a slot, a block slidable in said slot, a link pivoted to said block, a crank on the first shaft pivoted to said link, means operable from one of the shafts to apply a binding element about material, and means operable by the other shaft to bind said element about the material.

7. A machine of the class described having a shaft, means movable independently of the shaft to apply a binding medium about material, means to operate the shaft through movement of said means, a tying medium for the binding element operable from said shaft, and a cutting means for said element operable by said shaft.

8. A machine of the class described including a shaft, a second shaft, a plate mounting the second shaft, means to drive the second shaft from the first shaft, a substantially U-shaped bracket extending from said plate, a shaft journaled in said bracket, tying means operable through movement of the latter shaft, and a gear on the latter shaft in mesh with the first mentioned means.

9. A machine of the class described including a shaft, a second shaft, a plate mounting the second shaft, means to drive the second shaft from the first shaft, a sul stantially U-shaped bracket extending from said plate, a shaft journaled in said bracket, tying means operable through movement of the latter shaft, a gear on the latter shaft in mesh With the first mentioned means, and means carried by said bracket to prevent retrograde rotation of the last mentioned gear.

10. A machine of the class described having a table to receive material to be bunched, spaced uprights on said table, a shaft journaled in said uprights, a plate extending from one of the uprights, an abutment on said table for the material, a shaft journaled below the table, a shaft parallel to the latter shaft, means to drive one of the latter shafts from theother, a needle extending from the last menitoned shaft and being hollow and adapted to have the binding element passed therethrough, gripping means for the free end of the binding element, means to operate said gripping means of the first mentioned shaft, a cutter for the binding element operable through movement of the first mentioned shaft, an upstanding tying shaft, means to operate the tying shaft for the first mentioned shaft, a return spring connected to said plate and to said first mentioned shaft, a lever journaled on the first mentioned shaft having an arm extended therethrough provided With a slot, a block slidable in said slot, a link pivoted to said block and to one of the second mentioned shafts, and an arm extending from the lever at a right angle to its other arm, and a pin rising from the first mentioned shaft in the path of movement of the second mentioned arm of the lever.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE J. JORDAN.

Witnesses CHAS. SHEERIN, ALBERT MUEssnMEYnn. 

